This Week in Hillary-World: Tepid Book Reviews, a Gaffe and a Heated Exchange

Each week, Ravishly.com explores Hillary Clinton’s universe to provide a round-up of the week’s most compelling news, offering analysis on media commentary, punditry, polling and more. Yes, the election is still a bazillion years away, but when it comes to the story of the potential first female president ever, it’s never too early to start the conversation.

Hillary’s Big Deal Interview: Not Actually That Big of a Deal

Hillary’s sit-down with Diane Sawyer to discuss her new memoir on Monday seemed like the right time and place to announce a presidential run. Momentum for an announcement has been escalating in recent weeks, the interview was airing in prime time on a major network, and Hillary’s new memoir, Hard Choices, provides a ready-made platform for launching a campaign.

But when the question arose, Hillary did what she’s become adept at: she played coy. She did offer more of a sense of when she might announce a run, though—sometime in 2015. That means, potentially, several more months of hemming and hawing on the issue. That said, it makes sense for her to cool her heels; the moment she announces, the heat will only get turned up further. By waiting, she allows herself to generate interest without facing the perils of an active campaign.

In other interview news, Hillary had one of her first big gaffes of her (maybe) presidential run when she said she was “dead broke” after Bill left office. Considering her wealth and six-figure speaking fees, that hasn’t sat well with many, though the slip-up is minor enough to likely pass soon enough.

Hard Choices Memoir Hits the Market—What Do the Critics Think?

Hillary’s much-anticipated account of her time as Defense Secretary, Hard Choices, was released on Tuesday. The verdict from critics? It’s a competent, if cold and calculated, campaign-launching tome.

Time: “Without the reality of a coming candidacy, the rest of the book just doesn’t make any sense. This is a campaign book, written by a candidate (via her speechwriters), processed through a political machine, and delivered to the public with the contradictory goals of depicting the author as a decisive leader and not betraying any evidence of leadership that would turn a voter off. “

Slate: “This is not a book from someone who has nothing to lose . . . Clinton’s account is the low-salt, low-fat, low-calorie offering with vanilla pudding as the dessert. She goes on at great length, but not great depth.”

Washington Post: “This is a careful book, written tactically to burnish friendships and avoid making enemies. Perhaps that’s inevitable for an autobiographer who is considering running for president, but there are times when the reader feels he is being ‘spun’ rather than enlightened.”

As for how it’s selling, complete figures haven’t been released yet, but it seems to be doing well: No. 2 on Amazon and No. 1 on Barnes & Noble nationally. That said, it’s been noted that interest hasn’t been as feverish as expected.

We have our hands on a copy of the memoir and will be sharing more details ASAP.

Hillary Gets Testy During NPR Interview

Terry Gross, host of NPR’s “Fresh Air,” has been known to ruffle the feathers of her interview subjects—and this week, Hillary got very ruffled when pressed on her gay marriage views. When Gross repeatedly asked Hillary to explain why she waffled for such a long time time on the issue, the exchange got heated.

Hillary: “I have to say, I think you are being very persistent, but you are playing with my words and playing with what is such an important issue.”

Gross: “I’m just trying to clarify so I understand.”

Hillary: “No, I don’t think you are trying to clarify. I think you’re trying to say I used to be opposed and now I’m in favor and I did it for political reasons, and that’s just flat wrong. So let me just state what I feel like you are implying and repudiate it. I have a strong record, I have a great commitment to this issue, and I am proud of what I’ve done and the progress we’re making,”

This forceful retort wasn’t exactly a gaffe for Hillary, but it did dominate news coverage in a way she probably wasn’t hoping for. If this is the intensity of the scrutiny surrounding her now, you can imagine what it’ll be like if/when (likely when) she announces she’s officially running.

The Lowdown

All in all, this was a pretty rough week for Hillary, with her book and two high-profile interviews both leading to less-than-positive headlines. Hillary’s favorability ratings are also slipping. That said, it’s still very early—and if she does indeed announce a run in 2015, she’s given herself a lot of breathing room to gain ground.

I wonder if those who are attacking Hillary Clinton over the Fresh Air interview actually heard it. I think she did fine.

Clinton does have the problem of being wrong on the issue of gay marriage and having changed her mind. She was pretty clear about having changed her mind during the interview.

With this information there are a couple of ways to look at this, unfavorable and favorable, which are not mutually exclusive. On the one hand I see her initial opposition to gay marriage, even when a minority position, as an example of her conservative streak. It is good that she eventually came to the right decision, but she also has a history of initially being wrong. On many decisions, such as the decision on the Iraq war, a president has to get it right the first time.

On the other hand, she has what I would consider the right opinion now. If elected I don’t see any danger of her acting to infringe upon the rights of gays as her probable Republican opponents might. It is not surprising that in an interview a politician would want to play down the fact that they were wrong in the past.

There is a conservative streak in Clinton which is seen in many issues which lead me to hope that the Democrats offer a better choice, and I have serious doubts as to her ability to come to the right decision in a new situation, but with regards to the specific issue of the Fresh Air interview I think she handled herself well.